This invention relates to the field of outdoor, powered landscaping devices such as walk behind-mowers. In particular, the Inventor herein describes a quick attach mechanism for various powered accessories for a walk-behind mower.
In the landscaping field, power mowers are in common use. One type of power mower consists of an all-inclusive unit, such as the standard powered lawn mower or garden tractor. Another type of powered mower currently in common use, particularly in the professional landscaping trade, is a walk-behind mower. A walk-behind mower has two distinct parts. A first power unit includes the engine, a power source (commonly a gasoline engine), a deck, power drive shaft and handles and wheels. Commonly attached to the power unit are accessory units that can include a mowing unit, a snow blower, or various other types of accessories.
Inventions previously described in other patent applications or patents include the use of a walk-behind power unit with various accessories. Accessory attachment to a walk-behind power unit is described in U.S. Patent Application 2004007402 filed by Roger Kujawa in January of 2004. Kujawa describes a powering device with an engine, frame and handle (the power unit) as well as a power shaft and coupling for transferring power from the power unit to various working attachments (the accessories). While Kujawa's disclosure is of general interest in the field, Kujawa does not disclose or teach a method and mechanism to quickly attach various accessories to the power unit. Kujawa couples his two units together (the power unit and the accessory unit) by attaching clamping plates to the two separate units. While Kujawa does describe accessories clamped to a walk-behind power unit, the Kujawa method for attaching the two devices together is cumbersome and time consuming. It is an object of this invention to provide a quick method and mechanism for attaching accessories such as mower units or snow blowers to a walk-behind mower.
Accessories other than mowers and snow blowers may be attached to a power unit by various means. For example, in the 1999 Patent issued to Blide, U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,134, discloses a walk-behind mower with a broadcast spreader attachment. Blide describes a number of spreaders that include a hopper or other dispensing devices. However, Blide attaches the spreader accessory to the power unit by mounting points which are fixed by conventional means such as screws, clamps, bolts, snaps, quick releases, or pinching members. The Blide method and mechanism for attaching the accessory to the power unit requires that bolts be attached for the two units. This is cumbersome, time consuming, and could delay the use of the accessories. It is another object of this invention to provide for the quick release and attachment of various accessories such as a mower unit, snow blower, aerator, leaf vacuum, edger, or other type of accessory to a walk-behind power unit.
Utilizing the method described below, many different types of accessories may be universally attached to a power unit. The ability of one power unit to function in many different ways, as a result of a method and mechanism to quickly detach and attach different types of accessories, is a decided improvement over the prior art. It is a still further object of this invention to provide a quick attach means for use with a walk-behind mower that allows the mower to be quickly and conveniently converted into many different devices to be used in many different functions.
Other and further objects will become obvious upon reading the below described specification.